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*
Salvation depends on Christ - and Christ founded the Church on St.
Peter as the
only means of salvation:

"Jesus
said to [Peter] in reply, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly
Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I
will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not
prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of
heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and
whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.'" (Mt.
16:17-19)

"Whoever
listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And
whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." (Our Lord
Jesus Christ, Lk. 10:16)

"If
he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you
would a Gentile or a tax collector." (Our Lord Jesus Christ,
cf. Mt. 18:17)

*
Those outside the Church perish:

"Whoever
wishes to be saved must, above all, keep the Catholic faith; for
unless a person keeps this faith whole and entire he will
undoubtedly be lost forever." (Athanasian Creed)

"Indeed,
as long as you remain outside the Church and severed from the
fabric of unity and bond of charity, you would be punished with
everlasting chastisement, even if you were burned alive for
Christ's sake." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church)

"[The
Holy Roman Catholic Church] firmly believes, professes, and
proclaims that those not living within the Catholic
Church...cannot become participants in eternal life, but will
depart 'into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and
his angels' (Matt. 25:41)... [N]o one, whatever almsgiving he has
practiced, even if he has shed blood for the name of Christ, can
be saved, unless he has remained in the bosom and unity of the
Catholic Church." (Council of Florence, c. 1441 A.D.)

"According
to the words of Saint Augustine, who takes up an image dear to the
ancient Fathers, the ship of the Church must not fear, because it
is guided by Christ and by His Vicar. 'Although the ship is tossed
about, it is still a ship. It alone carries the disciples and
receives Christ. Yes, it is tossed on the sea, but, outside it,
one would immediately perish.' Only in the Church is salvation.
'Outside it one perishes.'" (Pope John Paul I, 1978)

*
The necessity of being Catholic for salvation:

"One
indeed is the universal Church of the faithful, outside which no
one at all is saved..." (Lateran Council IV, 1215 A.D.)

"The
Church is like the ark of Noah, outside of which nobody can be
saved." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"We
know that salvation belongs to the Church alone, and that no one
can partake of Christ nor be saved outside the Catholic Church and
the Catholic Faith." (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the
Church)

"Anyone
who is outside this Church, which received the keys of the kingdom
of heaven, is walking a path not to heaven but to hell. He is not
approaching the home of eternal life; rather, he is hastening to
the torment of eternal death. And this is the case not only if he
remains a pagan without Baptism, but even if, after having been
baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, he continue as a heretic." (St. Fulgence of Ruspe,
6th century A.D.)

Getting them an authoritative guide
to the Catholic Faith (e.g. an approved,
traditional catechism)

Note: Readers should be
advised that there are many unorthodox items out there. Be certain
all items are orthodox and have appropriate approval.Tip:
Look for items which contain appropriate ecclesiastical
approval and were written before the 1960's. Be certain they have
not suffered from any post 1950's updates.

*
Reminding them how much God loves them and that His love for them
is endless

*
Remind them that God is their loving Father and that He
"thirsts for them".

*
Remind them that the Second Person of the Holy Trinity became
incarnate to save them and give them the heavenly kingdom - that
He wants their salvation so much that He died a horrible death to
make their salvation possible

*
That God loves them so much that out of the infinite number of
persons He could have created, He chose to create that person -
and that He cares for them and sustains them at every moment - and
that He wants them to be with Him forever in heaven.

*
Reminding them that "if a man's soul isn't at peace with God,
no amount of exterior comforts or wealth or luxury can possibly
make him happy"

*
Helping them to see that God can use the bad things that happen to
them for good

*
Discussing Jesus' Passion (remember that it is hard to complain
about our sufferings in comparison with Christ's sufferings)

*
Helping them find a kind priest they can talk to

*
Finding ways to help them deal with their sufferings/problems

For Those Experiencing Difficulty in Confessing Consider:

*
Reminding them that God can forgive anything and that mercy is
there for the asking

*
Reminding them that the Church has the power to forgive all sins: "And
when he had said this, [Jesus] breathed on them and said to them,
'Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven
them, and whose sins you retain are retained.'" (Jn.
20:22-23)

*
Reminding them that the priest in the confessional is there to dispense
mercy - and that has "heard it all before" and must
"lay down his life rather than reveal the secrets of the
confessional"

*
Convincing them that the priest has heard far worse than whatever
sins they have to confess

*
Encouraging them to discuss their difficulty confessing with a
priest, even asking the priest to talk them through the confession

*
Reminding them that after confession they will have a "clean
slate"

*
Offering to go to Confession with them (not the confession itself,
of course, but to be there for moral support)

*
Commiserating with them over your own sinfulness

*
Reminding them that God will forgive them if they are truly sorry

*
Reminding them that they are keeping themselves from experiencing healing - and that the Church
really can heal one's
spiritual wounds.

*
Remind them that they will actually get to hear the words of absolution
- that they will really get to hear from the lips of the priest -
that is, God's appointed representative - that their sins are forgiven (sometimes people simply need to hear
the words)

*
If they are obstinate, or do not want to confess because they wish
to continue in sin, it may be helpful to remind them of certain
"hard truths" (e.g. they cannot escape God, "that
if they reject God, the only thing that's left are the
demons", judgment, etc.)

It pleasant to believe that
all people we consider "good" will be saved, but the
fact that it may be pleasant does not mean it is true. For more
information on "Do All 'Good People' Go To Heaven?", click
here

*
Christ Himself established the Church with a visible hierarchy.
This is clearly shown in Scripture (Christ's apostles themselves
were the first bishops and St. Peter was the first pope).

*
There has to be an organized way to pass on the faith to future
generations

*
There has to be visible structure to dispense the sacraments and
maintain the truths of the faith

*
There has to be a visible structure to secure that the authority
given the apostles by Christ is passed on (e.g. power of the keys,
power to forgive sins)

*
There had to have been a supreme authority to determine the books
of the bible since "there is no inspired table of
contents"

*
A visible structure has been necessary throughout history for
protection - there are many enemies of the faith that would
capture Christians (including men, women, and children) and kill
them. They have also captured them and forced them to submit to
false religions.

*
All societies have a structure (e.g. families, governments,
companies, etc.), so why not religion? Those without structure
would perish in no time.

*
It really makes no sense to reject 'organized religion' because
without organized religion, you would certainly have 'disorganized
religion'. And, this 'disorganized religion' clearly would be a
'free for all' that could not lead its 'members' to salvation.

Those Hurt By / Having a Bad Experience With
a Priest, Religious, or Other Catholic

Those
Fallen Away Due to:

*
Scandal or Other Evil in the Church

*
Bad Examples of Other Catholics

Consider:

*
Even Christ had a Judas. Would you walk away from Christ because
of Judas?

*
We are all sinners and there will never be a time on earth that
the Church does not contain sinners. We must be able to draw
distinctions between the sinfulness of some of her members and the
sinlessness of the Church. Even Scripture says the weeds and the
wheat will grow together (See Mt. 13:24-30)

*
Evil is committed precisely because Catholics do not live up
to Church teaching - not because they do

*
The Church should not be judged on the sinfulness of some its
members

*
It is not the whole Church

*
One's sins are one's personal failings, and not the teaching of
the Church

*
What about all the good the Church is responsible for? (e.g. incalculable
good words, large assortment of scientific/medical/etc. advances,
unparalleled literary/artistic works, producing saints such as St.
Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Theresa
of Avila, etc.)

*
"The value of a thing must not be judged by its abuse."

*
Does it make more sense to walk away from the problem or try to
fix it? Do you not become part of the problem when you leave?

*
What would you have thought of a Jew in the Old Testament who
abandoned the Jewish religion because of David's sins?

*
"You can't improve the
Church by splitting it apart"

*
Remember that the chosen people in the Old Testament also were
guilty of sin, but it didn't make them members of a
false religion or evil or tools of the devil or anything else our
enemies say about the Church

*
One can only imagine how much worse a person would be if not for
the Church

*
You walk away from the Church because some of her members abuse
and betray her? How does that make you in the right?

*
Sinful members or not, she is the only Church founded by God - the
only true Church. And, membership in her fold is necessary for salvation.

*
You chose to abandon her, she did not abandon you.

*
Don't allow someone's sinful behavior to cause you to discard the
means necessary for salvation.

*
You are depriving yourself of the Sacraments for what?

*
How does it help you to shoot yourself in the foot?

*
Would it not make more sense to stay within her fold and remain
steadfast in the faith, praying fervently for her weaker members?
Christ certainly did not reject the sinners who crucified him but
shed every drop of blood to save them.

*
Would one discard one's own mother because she was given a black
eye by one of her wayward children? Would you not console her? Why
then do you simply abandon Holy Mother Church because of her
wayward children?

*
Do you give up being an American because of a bad president or because
of some bad citizens? Why then give up the Church because of some
of her bad members?

*
It is not the Church's fault if Catholics do not live the life of
a true Catholic, it is their own.

*
Not all who call themselves Catholic are truly Catholic

*
Even abuse by clergy is no reason to
reject the authority of the Church. Judas was an apostle even
though he betrayed Christ. A bad
president still remains president - and one certainly wouldn't overthrow the entire
office of the presidency because of a bad president or refuse to admit
their authority. Obviously the person, not the office, is the problem.
Note also that "far greater
is the damage from the unlimited number of heresies promulgated than bad acts by some clergy members"

*
The Church can make mistakes of a non-doctrinal nature because she
is composed of weak and sinful human beings. Do you expect her to
be perfect, to be God Himself?

*
Even false religions that complain about events in Catholic
history have "unpleasant events" in their own history, many heinous and bloody.

*
If you do not have personal and complete knowledge of some "evil" the
Church (or her members) is supposed to have committed, would it not make sense to
give them the benefit of the doubt? Often those outside the
Church portray things in a completely inaccurate light and confuse
the issue. Not all negative things
are true, many are out of context, some are misunderstandings, abuses
are not sanctioned by the Church, etc. Remember that
the Church has fierce enemies - including the prince of lies
(Satan) - that
would like nothing more than to see her destruction.

*
Yes, there have been scandals and sin in the 2,000 year history of
the Church, but that is to be expected. We are all sinners.
Remember though: At least we have a history! Many of those who
criticize us have no history, since their religions were founded
so recently.

*
If not weren't divinely guided, the Church would have fallen many
years ago. Since the founding of the Church by Christ, many
(most?) other human societies have fallen.

*
While we must love all people regardless of who or what they are,
we are not called to accept sinful behavior. In fact, the bible
instructs us to "hate what is evil" (Rom.12:9), and sin
is certainly the greatest evil.

*
While Christ forgave sinners, he never allowed them to continue in
their sins. In fact, Christ instructed "Go, (and) from now on do not sin any more."
(Jn. 8:11)

*
Holy Scripture tells us to admonish one another, not to 'accept
sinners as they are'. Click here
for more information

*
Holy Scripture tells us not to associate with sinners, not to
'accept sinners as they are'. [e.g. "We instruct you, brothers,
in the name of (our) Lord Jesus Christ, to shun any brother who
conducts himself in a disorderly way and not according to the
tradition they received from us" (St. Paul, 2 Thes. 3:6)
& "Purge the evil person from your midst." (St. Paul, 1
Cor. 5:13)]

*
False tolerance is not charitable to the sinner or to others. In
fact, Scripture warns us that "Bad company corrupts good
morals" (1 Cor. 15:33) and that "A little yeast leavens the whole batch of
dough" (Gal. 5:9).

*
It is Christ, not us, who has given specific instructions
that must be followed for those wishing to be saved.

*
While one may think it is not loving to fail to accept someone 'as
they are', the truth is that it would not be very loving to allow
someone to perish without trying to help them. How loving would it
be to let someone fall over a cliff because you didn't want to
point out that their feet were hanging three inches over the edge?

*
How can it be unloving to encourage loved ones to be the best they
can be? To encourage them to act in the only way they can ever be
truly happy?

*
It may, in fact, be sinful to 'accept' someone's sinful behavior. In fact,
doing so may be one way of being an accessory to another's sin. [For
more information on ways of being an accessory to another's sin,
click here.]

*
Determining if they are being prevented (by
another, by financial reasons, by logistical reasons, by a
handicap, etc.) and if you might be able to help them resolve the
problem

*
Can you arrange a meeting with a priest?

*
Can have the priest come to them?

*
Can the parish or diocese provide any assistance?

*
Praying for them

*
Offering Mass for them

*
Would it help if you attended Mass/Confession, etc. with them?
[Note: Obviously 'attending Confession' means attending Confession
at the same time with them, not together with them.]

*
If they are unable to receive Sacraments due to their marital
status (e.g. divorced/remarried) or due to another sin, is there
anything appropriate you might be able to do to help them change the sinful situation they are in?

*
Finding out if they are legitimately excused from receiving the Sacraments.
If so, it may be a relief for them to know that, and also to know
that their suffering over not
being able to receive the Sacraments may be meritorious for them.

Those who find some other religion or
'spirituality' to be more 'fun', 'fulfilling' or 'spiritual'

Those who think there is no objective truth

Truth: Consider

*
We know that the Church Christ established, the Catholic Church - and
not our own opinion or our own 'church' - is "the pillar and foundation of
truth" (1 Tm. 3:15)

*
We know there is objective truth and that we are responsible
for knowing it and living it:

*
"God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth."
(Jn. 4:24)

*
"...and the truth will set you free." (Jn. 8:32)

*
"But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming."
(Jn. 16:13)

*
We also know that Jesus ["the way and the truth and the
life" (Jn.14:6)] came to testify to the truth: "For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."
(Jn. 18:37)

*
Scripture warns us repeatedly about error and false teaching:

*
" And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them."
(Acts 20:30)

*
"The wrath of God is indeed being revealed from heaven against every impiety and wickedness of those who suppress the truth by their wickedness."
(Rom. 1:18)

*
"For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity,
will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths."
(2 Tm. 4:3-4)

*
"There were also false prophets among the people, just as
there will be false teachers among you, who will introduce
destructive heresies and even deny the Master who ransomed them,
bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their
licentious ways, and because of them the way of truth will be
reviled." (2 Pt. 2:1-2)

*
"And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord
(Jesus) will kill with the breath of his mouth and render
powerless by the manifestation of his coming, the one whose coming
springs from the power of Satan in every mighty deed and in signs
and wonders that lie, and in every wicked deceit for those who are
perishing because they have not accepted the love of truth so that
they may be saved. Therefore, God is sending them a deceiving
power so that they may believe the lie, that all who have not
believed the truth but have approved wrongdoing may be
condemned." (2 Thes. 2:8-12)

*
We know that lies are from the devil: "You belong to your father the devil and you willingly carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies."
(Jn. 8:44)

*
We know that truth is unchanging.

*
We know there is an objective truth that must be believed (see
Mk. 16:15-16), and that we are called to reject error/false
teachings:

*
"If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do
not receive him in your house or even greet him; for whoever
greets him shares in his evil works." (2 Jn. 1:10-11)

*
"But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to
pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from
heaven should preach (to you) a gospel other than the one that we
preached to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before,
and now I say again, if anyone preaches to you a gospel other than
the one that you received, let that one be accursed! Am I now
currying favor with human beings or God? Or am I seeking to please
people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a
slave of Christ." (St. Paul, Gal. 1:7-10)

Feelings vs. Truth:
Consider

*
Truth is not determined by
good feelings. If you calculate 2+2=4, you have achieved truth,
but it is unlikely to be accompanied by a good feeling. The fact
that you don't "feel" the truth of 2+2=4 doesn't make it
any less true, just as the fact that someone feels 2+2=5 is true
doesn't make it true.

*
Not all that "feels right" is right. It probably "felt
good" for Adam & Eve to take that first fruit too! And
look where that got us!

*
Where in Scripture does it say that
practicing your religion should give you a "warm fuzzy"? Does
not Scripture tell us our religion requires suffering, persecution,
and the taking up of our cross?

*"...whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me."
(Mt. 10:38)

*
"He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, 'Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.'"
(Mk. 8:34)

*
"Then he said to all, 'If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'"
(Lk. 9:23)

* "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple."
(Lk. 14:27)

*
"The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him."
(Rom. 8:16-17)

*
"Then they will hand you over to persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name."
(Mt. 24:9)

*
"Remember the word I spoke to you, 'No slave is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you."
(Jn. 15:20)

*
Christ did not come down to
make people "feel good" on earth

*
Religion is not about one feels

*
Regardless of how one "feels" about it, he is bound by God's laws

*
Religion is about truths not
feelings

*
Where does Scripture say our religion should be one of feelings
and not objective truths?

*
If one goes on "feelings", one bases ones salvation on
"whatever seems to be true" or "whatever feels
true". How does that square with "working out our salvation
with fear and trembling" (cf. Phil. 2:12) and fearing God
(1Pt. 2:17)?

Also Consider:

*
There are objective truths

*
Truth is not subject to opinion

*
"The truth is a matter of life or death"

*
Truth is true even if is not accepted or agreed to

*
Truth is not a matter of opinion, but of fact

*
God is truth

*
"Truth is not created or measured by man but is given to man as a
gift by the supreme truth, God"

*
Truth is not subjective

*
Truth is not negotiable

*
How can truths contradict each other?

*
How can God, Truth itself, find errors and falsehoods acceptable?

*
Do you not consider truth important?

*
If your 'truth' doesn't agree with another's 'truth', how can you
be sure yours is correct? Are you claiming infallibility?

*
"One can have genuine principles of truth and still arrive at
false conclusions"

*
How can you separate "feelings of truth" from real
truth?

*
How do you expect to come to truth apart from the
Church which Holy Scripture calls "the pillar and foundation of
truth" (1 Tm. 3:15)?

*
Like it or not, there are fixed truths not subject to the whims or
opinions of human beings.

*
The Church cannot change because truth - by its very nature - is
unchanging. One cannot change 2+2=4 for any person, no matter how
unpopular the formula may be, precisely because it is a truth
which is not subject to change. The doctrines of the Church are
also truths which are not subject to change.

*
The dogmas of the Church are God's revealed truths. No one on
earth has the power or authority to change them, not even the
pope.

*
The Church cannot change because her purpose is to preserve
doctrine, not to create new doctrine; "the Faith is not a thing to be refashioned by any human intelligence, but something to be
safeguarded by the Church's authority against any such refashioning."

*
The Church teaches infallibly through the protection of the Holy Spirit (click here).
Do you seriously expect her to put aside the assistance of the
Holy Spirit so that instead of teaching truth she may simply teach
what you like?

*
How could you respect the Church if she changed her doctrines to
suit your likes and dislikes? You would be worshiping not God, but
yourself!

*
The Church is not a democracy, nor was it founded by Christ to be
a democracy.

*
Since when does opinion dictate religious truths?

*
Do you also expect God to change for you?

*
God Himself is perfect, and therefore not subject to change. Note:
Click here
for 'Unchanging' (Topical Scripture)

*
Why do you think that the Church - Christ's body (see Col 1:18) -
should cater to your likes and dislikes? Are you claiming to be
God?

*
The Church's dogmas are not hers to change. She did not
manufacture them, but is only passing down what was revealed.

*
How can dogmas of the faith be subject to negotiation?

*
"The Church is not a modem or an outlet
for self-gratification, it is rather the living safeguard of
Christ's teaching."

*
The Church's unchangeableness and protection of dogmas has actually
led to the protection of life on earth. Note that
heretics have been around from the beginning - some of them
promoted suicide as a positive good. If not for the unchangeable
Church, people would be swept away by all sorts of strange
teaching, so strongly condemned in Scripture.

*
What you see as a bad thing is actually a good thing. The Catholic
Church alone is the only religion with consistent doctrine. In
fact, it is an excellent way of distinguishing the true Church from false religions (who are unable to maintain consistent
doctrine precisely because they don't consider truths as fixed but
rather allow each to 'come to' their own doctrine by means of
personal interpretation).

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